new new zealand photographer drove it into a group of lions in thele wild. the curiosity, a suspicion and then that, attacked and grabbed the camera. thankfully it was lionproof and the images were safely recorded. check that out. thanks for watching "around the world." "cnn newsroom" starts right now. happy thanksgiving, everyone. forget black friday. doors are open for shoppers today. as retailer try to get a jump on the buying season. some shop owners are defying the corporate call to remain open. we'll talk to one woman who says enough is enough. right now, u.s. troops overseas are celebrating thanksgiving. looking at soldiers at bagram airfield in afghanistan lined up for turkey, stuffing and all of the trimmings.

hello, i'm jim sciutto in washington, happy thanksgiving to you and happy hanukkah. wolf blitzer is off today. a new thanksgiving tradition, shopping. check the cal der, this will be the shortest christmas shopping season since 2002. 26 days until christmas. some stores are getting an early jump on the traditional black friday free for alls. this is not entirely new. in years past we've seen a few stores opening at midnight. but for the first time, the majority of the big box stores are going all in with thanksgiving day sales. and that includes one major store chain that's making it an all-day event. nick valencia at a kmart outside atlanta and at a mart in california. is it paying off? customers forgoing time with family to get into the store? >> reporter: happy thanksgiving, jim. you don't see too many people

behind me, that's not indicative for what we saw this morning. we showed up at 5:00 a.m., frigid, so cold outside, 22 degrees. felt more like 17. there was already about 30 people lined up outside the so-called door busters and they made a beeline straight to electronics, that's the big deal at kmart. everybody in line that we spoke to say they put themselves through it because they want deals. as far as this kmart is concerned, it's profitable for them. expecting a 10% increase in sales, 100,000 in revenue. though not everyone is happy about it. there are some petitions online, change.org has 100,000 signatures asking stores like target to stay closed. they're trying to say employees deserve time off but employees are just thankful to have a job on thanksgiving. >> in years past, we've seen violence as people rush into the stores. did you see any of that? the pictures looked under

control, people happy, enjoying the holiday . >> reporter: it was pretty civil. kmart has this down to a science. they've been doing sales on thanksgiving for 22 years. they've got a system, down it a science, like i said. everyone that wanted a certain item, talked to before the stores opened so they were able to keep it in order here. everything was simple. everybody that we talked to and saw. they were polite as they could be on a day like today. >> thanks for being there so early in the morning. hope you get your break. burbank, california, also working on the holiday, how big are the crowds there? >> reporter: a line for this register but there aren't huge crowds here. just like nick was saying, it calmed down considerably. but what is different, if you check your calendar, it's thanksgiving and there are a lot of workers here. there are quite a number of shoppers who have been buying a lot of things, like television,

some items that are getting deep discounts today. things are lightening up. but what is unique, 6:00 a.m., there were 50 people lined up outside the big box store. >> you were another early riser, we're sorry. it's been an issue for some workers. we've heard of protests at some stores, even threats of strikes. have you talked to worker there's upset to be dragged in today? >> reporter: well, there's a couple of tales going on here. all of the workers we have spoken to say they are happy to be getting time and a half. they need the money. great holiday pay. but this is the morning shift. they say, okay, we can compromise, make extra money, work the morning, because we want to be home with families come back later today, those employees working in the evening, they're not going to be happy. a lot of workers say some of them had evening shifts and switched to try to get the morning shift so they could be home with families later today.

>> at least it's good to hear they're getting extra money, time and a half. well, there is one store owner who is saying, enough is enough. holly is a franchise owner 0 of a sears hometown store in new hampshire. asked to stay open thanksgiving today and she said no. we'll talk to holly live in a few minutes to talk about her frustration. now, macy's is one of the stores that will be open thanksgiving night. a first for the retailer. shopping wasn't the focus at macy's flag ship store in new york this morning. all about the store's thanksgiving day parade. 89-year-old pra tra decision. a concern that the windy weather could keep the giant parade balloons on the ground. they were allowed up, five feet lower than usual. jason carroll has been there for juice jim, what you're looking at is the end of the macy's thanksgiving day parade. these are the paradegoers

finishing up and heading out. it was a great time. people brought out their kids. big kids, little kids. most important part is the giant helium balloons made to the parade as well. it was cold but the sun came out and balloons came out as well. take a listen to what everybody had to say. you came from alabama? >> alabama, ala, lower alabama. >> reporter: what does lower alabama like about the parade so far? >> everything. balloons. >> reporter: some concern the balloons might not make it but they did. any favorites that you saw? >> i guess spongbob. >> reporter: he's one of my favorites too. you are coming in from oklahoma? >> yeah. >> reporter: what are you thinking so far? >> great. >> reporter: having a good time? >> yes. >> reporter: what did you think of the balloons. >> loved them. >> reporter: favorites? >> snoopy. >> spider-man. >> a lot of favorites. georgia was down there as well. i'm going to reach over.

you remember them, right, georgia? what did you -- what did you think so far? >> we love it. >> love it. >> reporter: any favorites. >> spider-man. >> cirque du soleil. >> reporter: cirque du soleil is not a balloon. but that's okay. >> spider-man was the favorite balloon. >> reporter: if you had to give it a grade, how was the parade? >> awesome! >> reporter: jim, that basically translates into they had a good time. >> happy thanksgiving! >> reporter: jim, happy thanksgiving to you and yours. once again, macy's thanksgiving day parade. good time for all those who decided to come out, brave the cold weather and take a look at the balloons. bye, jim. >> looks look a lot of fun there. glad balloons are up. wouldn't have been same without them.

>> we have holly a franchise owner joining us now. she received a corporate memo to stay open thanksgiving but she didn't doing it. thanks very much for coming out with us. i know how important the holiday is to you. why did you decide to defy the order and keep your store closed? >> when i got the news we were to be open from sears, in recent years it was never an issue for us to be open on thanksgiving, but for whatever reason they decided that they wanted to compete with other retailers and for us to be open on thanksgiving. it was mandated. >> as you said no, did you get any grief from the company? any pushback? did they say, if you feel that strongly, we'll let you stay home? >> no, they did not come gently, let's put it that way. they were very adamant about us being open. and i sent them a very kind letter stating my beliefs, that

it's against what i believe in, and my religion, and that i was making for my store, i was not going to be open. >> a lot of americans agree with you. a new poll from the university of connecticut shows 9 out of 10 americans say they won't go shopping on thanksgiving, 7% plan to visit stores. same poll fines 49% disapprove, only 16% approve of stores staying open for business on thanksgiving day. are you going to get any penalty from sears for doing this? >> they've already spoke about taking away bonuses for the rest of the year. to me, i'm going to make a stand for what i believe is right because i believe that the people of the united states are standing here with me. we've received a great amount of support from the area community and actually all across america. i had calls yesterday from illinois, ohio, from all over.

so it's been very wonderful to see the public, you know, standing here with us on this issue. >> well, it is did times are tough, business is slow, economy grow, not as quickly as we'd like. are you losing money by making this decision? >> of course we are. but you know what? when are we going to say it's not about the money? when are we going to stan up for what's right? how are we, as americans going to allow corporate heads to rule over us? it's just -- bother me really bad that they're allowing this country is allowing them to dictate time away from our family. >> i'm sure there are a lot of americans that agree with you. massachusetts, neighboring new hampshire has blue laws that prevent stores from opening on thanksgiving. new hampshire does not. but i understand you're going to try to change that. >> yes. so my hope for this, now that i

got the media's attention, i want everyone that believes i'm doing the right thing to stand up and sign my petition on change.org. it's listed as retailers to be closed on thanksgiving. and allow the lawmakers to know that we're serious about this issue. they need to set precedent in the united states of america to say this is unacceptable, stores will be closed on thanksgiving day. so people can enjoy time with their families. >> good for you, holly cassiano, making a stand for the holiday and staying home. thanks for joining us by skype. cnn has reached out to sears for a statement but has not heard back yet. they did tell our affiliate whdh, however, we have encouraged all of our dealers and franchises to be open thanksgiving evening because we believe that is what many consumers want. one thing that would make

the white house thankful is a meeting, a self-imposed deadline for the obama care website, but will that happen? find out about new delays straight ahead in a live report. stationed with the task force lifeliner in bagram air force afghanistan. i'd like to wish my mom, gra grandmoth grandmother, family and friends happy thanksgiving. constantly putting out fires. so i deserve a small business credit card with amazing rewards. with the spark cash card from capital one, i get 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. i break my back around here. finally someone's recognizing me with unlimited rewards! meetings start at 11, cindy. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one. choose 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? i need your timesheets, larry!

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i started part-time, now i'm a manager.n. my employer matches my charitable giving. really. i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate. i manage produce. i work in logistics. there's more to walmart than you think. vo: opportunity. that's the real walmart.

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the latest obama care deadline is less than 36 hours away. by saturday, healthcare.gov is posed to be running smoothly, accessible to the vast majority of americans. tech teams are racing to build a workaround for the dysfunctional website. jill dougherty joins us from the white house. are they going to make that deadline? the white house haze been concerned about pushing too much traffic to it over the weekend. >> reporter: they think they will, but you know, again, jim, they're not saying this is some magical fix because there will be problems continuing. but they say they hope they can get it up with the help of those teams, up to speed, and able to take care of the majority of people who sign on. >> reporter: with just two days to go before a self-imposed deadline to get the obama care website working right, another delay. the obama administration now says that healthcare.gov won't be able to enroll small businesses for another year. after promising this, too would

be ready. >> will the shop website for small businesses that was delayed be fully functional during november? >> yes, we will institute the shop component at the end of november. >> reporter: republicans quick to bounce on the administration for announcing another delay, just before the thanksgiving holiday. house majority leader eric can ter charging, once again president obama has un lat rlly delayed another major portion of obama care and once again, he's tried to bury bad news around the holiday, hoping no one will notice. small businesses will be able to use direct enrollment with an ensurer, agent or broker. but during a conference call with reporters, the administration was downplaying overall expectations. >> to be clear, november 30th does not represent a relaunch of healthcare.gov. it is not a magical date. >> reporter: the spokeswoman admit there's will be times after november 30th when the

website does not function properly. programmers still have a lot of work to do. the goal, make sure it can handle 50,000 users at one time, yet there might be times when demand exceeds that. and consumers will be directed to a virtual waiting line. and so what they're troying to do, jim, obviously, get this to the point that it can be used by as many people as possible. but what they're worried about is, let's say next week when it perhaps catches on as it did in october, that they might be overwhelmed. so, that again, trying to be ready for that. it's kind of a -- you can say good problem in a way because people apparently are interested in doing it, it's just can they actually get on to the site. >> well, it's going to be a tense saturday, as that deadline approaches, but we have a break today. thanksgiving. how are the obamas spending thanksgiving?

>> reporter: we just got notice from the white house that president obama called members of the military, he phoned up two members of the army, two from the marine corps, from the navy, from the air force, and the coast guard. wished them a happy thanksgiving. and also thanked them very much for their service. and then also, jim, we got i think the most interesting news flash today, which is what is on the menu for the family here. the first family. and it's your traditional turkey and ham. but the dessert menu, i think there's notice there are nine, count them, nine different pies. everything from huckleberry to sweet potato, apple pie, pumpkin pie, one of my favorites, cocoa cream pie. so i'm presuming that michelle obama's get fit, let's move, anti-obesity plan is on the table at least for until tomorrow.

>> not exactly light eating. nine kinds of pie. how many people are around the table? does everybody get their own pie? how does this work? >> reporter: we haven't heard. not sure what the significance is of the nine pies but we'll try to find out. >> talking about how president clinton and gore have a vegan diet. this looks look a nonvegan diet. thanks jill dougherty. happy thanksgiving. a town torn apart by a tornado but as they rebuild they're giving thanks just for health, good friends, and their fighting spirit. we'll take you there live next. ya know, with new fedex one rate you can fill that box and pay one flat rate. how naughty was he? oh boy... [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. i started part-time, now i'm a manager.n.

my employer matches my charitable giving. really. i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate. i manage produce. i work in logistics. there's more to walmart than you think. vo: opportunity. that's the real walmart.

this isn't a typical thanksgiving for thousands of people in the midwest. in fact, the a very difficult one. here's why. you may remember this is what happened to their neighborhoods when a line of tornadoes ripped through almost two weeks ago. eight people killed. 200 were hurt. 1400 homes damaged or destroyed. the town of washington, illinois, hit hard but despite their losses, survivors say they have a lot to be grateful for this thanksgiving day. ted rowlands is in washington, illinois we saw the devastation. how do they manage to celebrate the holiday today, despite all of that? >> reporter: well, jim, you know, as you said, only one fatality here in washington, and they do have a lot to be thankful for. on the same token, thanksgiving typically you associate with home, you're in someone's home,

your home or a relative's home and it's family time where you spend a lot of time in that home and you look behind here, it's overwming. you've got 1,000-plus homes completely demolished. so many people displaced. has been under two weeks. this is a real reminder for these folks, a remainder of the new reality of their life. you can see they're out working here. this is a volunteer group called samaritans purse. they've been working all morning long. people volunteering, coming here from around the region, from chicago, iowa, volunteering their within. another thing to be thankful for. the bottom line, an incredible shock to the community. yesterday a wonderful event in washington, hundreds of people got together and a prethanksgiving meal and talked about how thankful they are. >> all of a sudden, everything's taken away and you don't know what direction to move in. having little things like this, the ability to get together with

the community, powerful. >> all of the people so wonderful, like this, people have come to help, people have brought food. >> thanksgiving lunch is really about reminding people about what they should be thankful for, life, health, one another, the physical assets, while it's been devastating to lose them, we can rebuild those. >> reporter: jim, a few other planned events today starting up in the next hour, people survivors, coming together to celebrate thanksgiving as a community. >> yes. something to smile about there. where are they staying? we saw them getting together to eat thanksgiving dinner. staying in friends' houses, shelters? how do they manage? >> reporter: well, amazingly, overwhelming majority of people have been able to locate with family or friends, whether it's in the washington area or they've had to move out to family members that live outside of this area. according to local officials here, literally, only a handful of people have needed assistance

finding a place to stay. there's been a ton of community support for these folks which is another reason for them to be thankful today with all of this work ahead of them over the next few months and years. >> incredible, the true spirit of thanksgiving. thanks to ted rowlands in the midst of it all in washington, illinois. giving back at thanksgiving, take you live to los angeles next for a holiday tradition with the homeless. there are seniors who have left hundreds of dollars of savings on the table by not choosing the right medicare d plan. no one could have left this much money here. whoo-hoo-hoo! yet many seniors who compare medicare d plans realize they can save hundreds of dollars. cvs/pharmacy wants to help you save on medicare expenses.

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then it's the stuffing, shopping cart, that is. black friday starts a day earlier this year for many major retailers with a few stores in on the early start last year. they accounted for $800 million in sales. that coupled with the shorter shopping season this year means more chains are hoping to get you out of your food coma, into their stores right away. christine romans takes a look how walmart is gearing up for today's rush. >> welcome to walmart. >> reporter: 1.3 million workers in 4,000 stores around the country building up to one event, black friday. the world's biggest retailer says, it's the most important shopping day of the year. >> we call it the super bowl of retail. >> reporter: say good-bye to tomatoes and hello to toys and television. >> go into a super center around 2:00 on thanksgiving day, it looks like a food store. two, three hours late go from the largest food star to the largest gm store in the world.

>> reporter: it's buying more to keep up with demand. >> we've bought over 65% more tvs, five times as many sheet sets, two times as many tablets. >> reporter: customers won't need to wait for deals. thanksgiving thursday is the new black friday. kmart, best buy, target, walmart opening early. walmart's deal start 6:00 p.m. on thanksgiving. walmart says its customers bought nearly 5,000 items a second during four hours of thanksgiving day sales last year. >> we did over so million transactions. that was 1.3 million tvs, 1.8 million towels, 1.3 million toys. >> reporter: keeping products flowing will take 600 employees. >> a simple, seamless move from off the truck to the back room. every store mapped out for exact location of where all of the products are going to job. >> reporter: when it's all over it starts again. >> black friday is a 52-week planning process. we start the day after black friday one year and start

planning the next. >> shopping is one way to celebrate thanksgiving. but for many americans the holiday's not just a rest day before the black friday frenzy. it's about giving things and giving back. that's what happening at the midnig midnigmid mission in los angeles. something going on for a hundred years? tell us the whole story. >> reporter: yes, you're right, jim. they have been here, helping out people who are in need for going into 100 years. daily they do 3,000 meals. today is extra special, it's thanksgiving. people coming out here, feeding people who need it but also joined by very famous faces who have been coming here for a long time. lou gossett jr., he's been coming out here, you say 15 years? >> since mayor bradley's time. >> reporter: a long time. >> got him in office, thi was 3

years old. >> reporter: exactly. why do you come out here every year. >> my grand mom taught me how do that. we were all poor when i was raised, so it's natural to help one another, not just thanksgiving. thanksgiving you celebrate, and christmas, you thank, but this is every day. >> reporter: you've made this a family affair. >> they're out there. three generations here. >> reporter: three generations. >> i highly recommend this to remember it or than thanksgiving. it's got to be every day these days. things are getting tight. >> reporter: that's what it's about. it's about giving back for a lot of the people coming out here. for those less fortunate, having a good thanksgiving meal, they've made every turkey on site. they've got pie. they've got all of the fixings. everything you want for a good thanksgiving meal. a well-received meal happening here on the streets of los angeles. >> great tradition, seeing stars out there as well. thanks, stephanie elam in

los angeles. do you have a unique thanksgiving tradition? a dish that only your family makes? we want to know. tweet me a picture of that special tradition. use only the #onlyatmyhouse. we'll share the best answers in the 4:00 hour of "cnn newsroom" today. family of a new jersey man is giving thanks for a police officer who says he was just doing his duty. take a look at this video. see officer scott kristiner pulling the driver out of the truck. he was the first officer there. he couldn't see the driver through the smoke. he recounted the scene on "new day" just this morning. >> any fear, hesitation? >> in the back of my mind, i wanted to get away from the truck as soon as i could. >> what are you thinking now? opening the door? >> not knowing if the car's going to blow up. you don't know what's going to happen. >> i didn't know what to expect. i couldn't really see anything.

i reached my hand in, felth him, pulled him out. >> thanksgiving day hero. 61-year-old driver was hospitalized in critical but stable condition. he went back to the burning truck to see if there were more passengers stuck inside. no one else was in there. a great hero story. we here at cnn are preparing for our own holiday tradition "cnn heroes all-star tribute" top ten heroes of the year. star-studded gala airs sunday december 1st, 8:00 p.m. eastern. nischelle turner gives us a behind the scenes peek at preparations for the big event. >> everybody, i'm nischelle turner, i'm going to give you a backstage look at what it takes to put this awards show together. it's going to be cool. come with me. this year, we're back in new york, baby, at the american

museum of natural history where the very first cnn heroes took place seven years ago. >> i can't believe it's been that long. we're thrilled to be back here. it's iconic and it's beautiful. >> the first stop of the night for the everyday heros and celebrities, the red carpet. >> wow, look at it in here. look at all of the lights. work like this takes hundreds of people to set up working around the clock. and then the centerpiece of the evening. this year's cnn heroes will be honored here in the whale room where one of the museum's biggest treasures will be watching over all night. talking about this lady right here. but that's not all that has to be done to get ready for the special event. 51 tables to set up, 9 cameras to put in place, one giant video monitor. >> you wouldn't believe what it takes to put something like this on. and you know we had about two days to bring it in and set it all up. >> transforming this beautiful

room from this to this to honor ten everyday people who are changing the world. >> it just a nice anything to honor these people. they don't get the limelight, they don't get honored, they don't have celebrities praising their work. it a nice thing. a nice pat on the back. >> a pat on the back from cnn that becomes a special night of inspiration. >> special night also looks look a lot of fun. anderson cooper anchors "cnn heroes an all-star tribute" 8:00 p.m. eastern. still ahead, as tensions increase between china and japan over disputed islands in the east china sea, find out how people on the street find out it in tokyo and beijing. there are seniors who have left hundreds of dollars of savings on the table by not choosing the right medicare d plan. no one could have left this much money here.

whoo-hoo-hoo! yet many seniors who compare medicare d plans realize they can save hundreds of dollars. cvs/pharmacy wants to help you save on medicare expenses. talk to your cvs pharmacist, call, or go to cvs.com/compare to get your free, personalized plan comparison today. call, go online, or visit your local store today. ♪ [ male announcer ] laura's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. thanks for giving me your smile. thanks for inspiring me.

thanks for showing me my potential. for teaching me not to take life so seriously. thanks for loving me and being my best friend. don't forget to thank those who helped you take charge of your future and got you where you are today. the boss of your life. the chief life officer. ♪

japan, the u.s., south korea are refusing to recognize china's newly declared air defense identification zone sayinging it's territorial overreach. all three have flown in the 0.without bowing to china's demands for information. all comes during a territorial dispute over japan over a set of small uninhabited islands in the sea. david mchenry is on the streets of beijing. >> reporter: china and japan engaged in a tense tussle over the skies. i've come to the streets of tokyo to see if alarm bells are ringing. first on the streets of beijing. china started the round of tension when it unilaterally announced an air defense identification zone which

bisects islands disputed with japan, so patriotism is running high. this is between our countries, i think china should protect its sovereignty, says this man. but it's too sensitive, he says. in fact, many people wouldn't talk on camera. but not hong kong-born wu. this isn't about confrontation, he says. it's defending our rights. state media tabloid global times took readers in another direction, holding an unscientific survey on line, pushing intercept, unidentified foreign aircraft, shoot them after first warning and flaming tracer bullets. soldier turned makeup artist knows about military matters. but does he think china should take on japan? it depends if china has enough power, he laughs.

>> reporter: over in tokyo that chinese tough talk is striking a raw nerve. this office worker thinks enough is enough. time japan flexed its muscles. >> translator: japan is weak against foreign countries and i don't think we get respect from them. so i want the government to take a stronger stance. >> reporter: there's no love loss between neighbors. this poll published by the japanese government days before the airspace declaration showed 80% of japanese dislike the chinese. they don't like the russians much better. despite rising tensions, this man recalls the lessons of world war ii. >> translator: i really don't want a war, that's the last thing we need. we cannot repeat our dark and sad past. two countries should find a solution. >> reporter: that's not to say younger generations are ready to roll over. this nursing student has no doubt who owns the disputed

islands. but she's not worried about a flare-up. >> translator: japan promises in the constitution it will not go war, even china tries to start it. i believe japan can stop it by negotiation, i'm not worried. >> reporter: many i've been speaking to say the japanese government should do more to stan up for itself. they do not like the chinese that much they clearly say they want peace, not war. karl penhaul in tokyo. >> reporter: david mckenzie in beijing. >> a sense the local politics driving the geopolitics in asia. grading america's top diplomats. hillary clinton versus john kerry, very different ways of getting the job done. where do the last two secretaries of state stand on the world stage? we'll take a closer look, next. [ male announcer ] this store knows how to handle a saturday crowd.

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only on the job ten months now and already racked up major diplomatic deals. talking about secretary of state john kerry. so is he more successful already than hillary clinton as the nation's top diplomat? jill dougherty has been looking at their records. jill, do we have a verdict? is it a fair question? >> reporter: it's a fair question, definitely. a lot of people are asking it. but the answer, i think the jury's still out. but secretary kerry next week in fact, has another marathon trip. he'll be going to europe, eastern europe, the middle east, and he's nipping at the heels of hillary clinton's record travel. >> reporter: he took her job as secretary of state but he still praises her. >> one of the country's remarkable secretaries of state. >> i, john f. kerry. >> reporter: america's top diplomat for only ten months. but already he's racked up some significant achievements. >> it's been a long day, long night, and i'm delighted to be

here to share some thoughts with you about this negotiation. >> reporter: a breakthrough interim deal with iran to halt its nuclear program. a plan with russia to force syria to give up chemical weapons. peace talks between >> in her four years as secretary of state, hillary clinton covered nearly a million miles in the air. her key issue, women's rights. >> an afghanistan that is stable and secure and peaceful is in everyone's interest, particularly women and children. but it can't come at the cost of women. and women's lives. >> she scored some foreign policy successes, repairing america's image around the world. preventing a wider war in the middle east by brokering a cease fire in gaza. an historic opening with burma. building a coalition to remove

moammar gadhafi, although her critics claim that was overshadowed by the killing of the american ambassador to libya and three other americans. so whose scorecard looks better? nicklaus burns says they're both successful in different ways. >> he is a deal maker in the best sense of that word. he's thrown himself into the toughest negotiations that the united states can face. she took a longer range view of the job as well, and she did emphasize development and the ties between development and diplomacy and the role of women, which is a very important issue that had not received the attention it deserves. so jill, having watched kerry at work a couple times in the last couple months in geneva, first on the chemical weapons deal and now on iran. it's because he's not running for president and hillary is thinking about running for president. is it all about politics?

is that a fair story? >> it's a legitimate issue. there could be, let's say, kerry not really feeling that he has to take any chances anymore. that he has to guard himself, that he can really take chances. he can really try to accomplish something. hillary clinton, perhaps, hoping for her legacy and the record she will bring in if she does run, into the election. maybe being more careful, but that's not necessarily what they have done. i think it's an important point, as you know, some diplomats say history deals each secretary their own cards. look at the iran deal. would the iran deal have happened, in fact, if the iranian people hadn't elected a new president themselves? and the u.s. didn't elect that president. so there's a bit of history that comes into play, too. >> i suppose fair to say it's far too early to say if these deals are going to be successful in the long absolutely. >> happy thanksgiving on a

chilly thanksgiving day out there. now back to the holiday. people all over the country are celebrating thanksgivukkah. an event that won't happen for another 70,000 years. we'll tell you what it is after the break. >> my name is lieutenant commander zulati with the nato mmu. i would like to give a shoutout to my wife shirley, my son william, and my daughter isabella in san diego. happy holidays. [ woman ] when you own your own business,

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this thanksgiving is a once in a lifetime event for millions of jewish americans. that's because this year, turkey day and hanukkah are happening at the same time. it's a double holiday known affectionately as thanksgivukkah. >> we're going to make hundreds if not thousands of --

>> this rab by is getting ready for the big day. his congregation is celebrating in style. deep frying turkeys and mashing together a holy jewish holiday with a holy american one. >> hanukkah has come out, quote/unquote, early this year. really, it comes out on the same date in the hebrew calendar every year. but there's this fluke that there's this overlapping of hanukkah and thanksgiving. >> that calendar fluke won't happen again for another 70,000 years, experts say. >> we call it thanksgivukkah, but it's a beautiful fusion of the two days, a day of giving thanks and a day of giving praise to god. thanks to god for all the miracles. >> this congregation in washington, d.c. is having a feast to mark the special occasion. >> this is the only time i think we're going to be able to celebrate thanksgivukkah in our life, so we're going to make it a good one. >> this has been surprisingly great.

>> genie roberts is the owner of modern tribe. they sell kitschy and quirky jewish themed gifts online. >> thanksgivukkah sales were so big, we had to move from my basement to a commercial space. >> they opened this brick and mortar store in atlanta for the holidays. >> we've never been able to have a physical store. we've only been online, and now we can interact with customers and we get to see their excitement about thanksgivukkah and hanukkah and our wine of thanksgivukkah products. >> part of the profits are going to a jewish charity that works to end hunger. the must-have item, the menurkey, a menorah, that's right, shaped lie a turkey. >> everyone wanted to know what i thought it should look like, so i went to an art store near our house and got some brown clay. >> the menurkey was dreamed up by asher, a fourth grader from new york city on a road trip with his mom and dad.

>> asher says, wow, we should make menorahs in the shape of turkeys. and anthony was driving. i looked over at anthony and i was like, that's brilliant. >> with dad's help, he used software and a 3-d printer to turn his idea into a real product. >> then we have the plaster ones, which are made in a factory. >> so far, they have sold almost 7,000 menurkeys. >> it's been pretty intense. >> it's a pop-up. incredible pop-up business that will end on a certain day. >> right. >> potentially. >> i don't know. i got to get myself a menurkey. do you have a unique thanksgiving tradition? a dish only your family makes? we want to know. tweet me a picture at jim sciutto. and use the hash tagg #only at my house. we have a bunch in. please send more. we want to pick the best. that's it for me for now.

"newsroom" continued right now with brooke baldwin. happy thanksgiving, brooke. thank you very much, jim sciutto. same toyou, and same to all of you who are watching and hopefully filling your bellies with goodness on this thanksgiving day. i'm brooke baldwin. and speaking of filling bellies and other things here, this is a day we celebrate with overconsumption, a national feeding frenzy, if you will. overstuffing, which i plan to do in about two hours, ourselves on turkey and dressing and sweet potatoes and gravy. but this year is a bit different because retailers are really hoping we take our overconsumption to a whole new level. take a look at this list. these are several huge stores that are open today, on thanksgiving. big names. macy's. walmart, kohl's, best buy, sears, toys "r" us. they're all dishing out deals. some before